Burch Smith

A forearm strain limited Smith to just two appearances at Triple-A during the 2014 season. The results were disastrous, but the sample size is too small to be meaningful. He recovered from the injury ...

A 14th-round selection in the 2011 draft, Smith emerged from nowhere to dominate Double-A San Antonio in the first month of the season, resulting in a callup to the Padres. However, the experiment failed, as he was bombarded in three starts encompassing just 7.1 innings and was promptly sent to Triple-A Tucson to try his wares in the Pacific Coast League. Seven subsequent appearances in the majors are much more indicative of his ability, namely a 35:15 K:BB ratio, but he must reduce his propensity to serve up the long ball, considering a 1.6 HR/9 across 29 frames during that span. Nevertheless, his mid-90s fastball will be given an opportunity to earn a rotation spot, however unlikely, in spring training.